Pula to Trieste: Because Sane People Drive.

There are regattas.

Then there is Barcolana.

A normal regatta is a few boats sailing around some buoys while a bunch of men in sunglasses discuss sail trim as if the future of civilization depends on it.

Barcolana is different.

Barcolana is what happens when somebody gives the entire Adriatic permission to come to Trieste.

Thousands of boats.

Thousands of sailors.

Thousands of people who suddenly become experts in meteorology, tactics, rigging, boat design and the drinking habits of strangers.

The waterfront becomes a forest of masts.

The bars become full.

The streets become full.

The harbor becomes full.

Even the people who don't own boats suddenly have opinions about boats.

And somewhere in the middle of all this madness, there is a sailboat race.

It is called the Barcolana.

And it is one hell of a race.

I'M GOING BACK

I haven't been to Barcolana for years.

I don't know exactly how many.

At some point you stop counting years and start counting things that broke on the boat.

But it's been too long.

Boats need fixing.

Books need writing.

Projects appear.

Other seas call.

And somehow the years disappear.

But this year I'm going back.

So on October 11, I'll be back in Trieste.

Back among the masts.

Back among the sailors.

Back among the people who spend three days pretending they are not tired.

I'll probably look at the fleet and think:

What the hell am I doing here?

Then I'll have a beer and remember.

That's what I'm doing here.

BUT THIS TIME WE'RE NOT STARTING IN TRIESTE

My friends from Pula have decided that waiting until Trieste is too easy.

So they've moved the beginning of the adventure south.

To Croatia.

They are organizing the first edition of:

GO TO BARCOLANA FROM CROATIA

Pula → Trieste

9–10 October 2026

You don't just show up in Trieste.

You sail there.

The course is 63.3 nautical miles along the Istrian coast.

Pula to Trieste.

Rovinj.

Poreč.

The open sea.

And eventually the circus.

But before you leave, somebody has had the good sense to make things comfortable.

On Thursday, October 8, from 6:30 pm, you arrive in Pula.

There is free berthing.

There is a welcome party at the Italian Club.

There is dinner.

You meet the other crews.

You drink.

You talk about the weather.

Someone will say:

"It looks like perfect sailing weather."

This person should immediately be removed from the premises.

Never trust a sailor who says the weather will be perfect.

The sea has ears.

THEN WE SAIL

Friday morning.

09:00.

Pula.

Start.

The fleet heads north.

There are mandatory gates at Rovinj and Poreč.

Then you continue toward Trieste.

Sixty-three point three nautical miles.

Not enough to become a hero.

More than enough to become an idiot.

Which is the ideal distance.

By 12:00 noon on Saturday, you're supposed to be in Trieste.

Then, at 4:00 pm, there is the prize-giving at the Ridotto of Teatro Verdi.

And suddenly you're there.

In the middle of Barcolana week.

The boats are everywhere.

The city is packed.

The sea is packed.

Everybody is talking.

Everybody is sailing.

Nobody knows where they parked.

Nobody cares.

TWENTY-FIVE EUROS

The entry fee is €25 per boat.

Twenty-five euros.

I've spent more than that buying things on boats that I later discovered were completely unnecessary.

Actually, I once bought something on a boat that I still don't know what it was for.

So €25 seems reasonable.

You get the start in Pula.

Free berth.

Dinner.

Welcome party.

The trip to Trieste.

Prize-giving.

And then you're sitting in the middle of the biggest sailing party on the Adriatic.

Maybe the world.

Depending on how many sailors you ask after midnight.

Registration are open at barcolana.it.

WHY DRIVE?

Why would anyone drive from Croatia to Trieste during Barcolana?

You could sit in traffic.

Search for parking.

Pay for parking.

Walk around carrying your jacket.

And tell everyone you're a sailor.

Or...

You could leave Pula under sail.

Follow the Istrian coast.

Pass Rovinj.

Pass Poreč.

Cross the Gulf.

And arrive in Trieste with salt on your face and a stupid grin on your head.

That's how you should arrive at Barcolana.

By sea.

Because Barcolana isn't really about the race.

It's about the boats.

The people.

The stories.

The weather forecasts that were completely wrong.

The sailors who swear they saw something you know they didn't.

The guy who has spent €200,000 preparing his boat for a race and still gets beaten by a 35-year-old cruiser with a cracked mainsail.

That's sailing.

That's Barcolana.

And after all these years away, I'm going back.

I'll see you in Trieste on October 11.

But if you're sitting in Pula right now thinking about Barcolana, don't wait until you're standing in the Trieste crowd wishing you'd sailed there.

Get your crew together.

Pick your boat.

Put October 8–10 in the calendar.

Register at barcolana.it.

Then bring the boat to Pula on Thursday evening.

Your berth is waiting.

Dinner is waiting.

The party is waiting.

And on Friday morning, at 09:00, the starting line is waiting.

PULA → ROVINJ → POREČ → TRIESTE.

63.3 nautical miles.

€25 per boat.

Don't drive to Barcolana.

Sail into it.

GO TO BARCOLANA FROM CROATIA.

See you in Pula.

Then we'll see what the sea has planned for us.